Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Pope Leo also spoke of “the urgent need for theoretical and practical knowledge of the divine law,” gained “above all through reading the Holy Scriptures, meditating in the silence of deep prayer, reverently welcoming the voice of legitimate pastors, and attentively studying the many treasures of wisdom offered to us by the Church.”

“In the midst of joys and difficulties, our motto must be: if Christ went through this, it is also our duty to live what He lived,” the Pope added. “We must not be driven by applause because its echo is short-lived; nor is it healthy to dwell only on the memory of days of crisis or times of bitter disappointment.”

Pope Leo XIV has twice paid tribute to music in recent days.

Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, said that he hopes American Catholic “will have moved beyond talking past one another and toward a deeper unity rooted in the Gospel: unity that allows for reasonably disagreement without losing sight of the dignity of immigrants.”

Bishop Cahill recognized problems posed by illegal immigration. But he said: “A system that relies primarily on mass or sweeping deportation as its solution fails to reflect the balance of mercy that our faith demands and our nation’s history warrants.” He argued that deportation is warranted only when it is humane, allows for due process, respects family integrity, and offers special protection to the vulnerable.

Bishop Cahill revealed that the US bishops have “begun undertaking dialogue” with the Trump administration on the immigration issue.

Ruben Sanchez charged that United Airlines dismissed him because he had defended Catholic moral teachings in social-media posts. He also sued his union, the Association of Flight Attendants, for failing to protect him. Sanchez was supported in his legal case by X (Twitter), which cited its corporate stand for free speech.

These agenda items for the meeting—which is scheduled for January 7 and 8—were disclosed in a letter to the cardinals, according to a report in the Italian daily Il Giornale.